<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>and the moon became as blood; and the star of heaven fell unto the earth by knave_of_swords</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24282454">and the moon became as blood; and the star of heaven fell unto the earth</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/knave_of_swords/pseuds/knave_of_swords'>knave_of_swords</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Female My Unit | Byleth, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route, Forced Orgasm, Forced Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Imprisonment, Kink Meme, Mindbreak, Overstimulation, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Sexual Abuse, Tempest King Dimitri, Unplanned Pregnancy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:28:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,726</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24282454</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/knave_of_swords/pseuds/knave_of_swords</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tempest King Dimitri finds a sleeping Byleth before she can meet with Edelgard on what would have been the day of the Millenium Festival. He hides her from Rhea, hoping that he can brainwash her into believing that she is his loving wife who is united with him against Edelgard's tyranny. It doesn't quite go according to his plan, but he's determined not to let her slip out of his grasp.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth, Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>107</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>FE3H Kink Meme</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>and the moon became as blood; and the star of heaven fell unto the earth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I was tempted to add the tag "angst with a happy/ambiguous ending," but that really depends on which ship/character you're heading into this fic for. I couldn't write Byleth permanently suffering forever, though, so I do want to say that she doesn't get a "bad end." Though how happy you think it is for her depends on your point of view. Anyways, heed the warnings and tags if you only skimmed them. This is not the type of non-con where the receiving party is secretly into it.</p>
<p>Prompt: </p>
<p>https://3houseskinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/476.html?thread=45532#cmt45532</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">When Byleth wakes up, she immediately senses that something is deeply <em>wrong</em>. The feeling crawls down the back of her spine like cold sweat as she stares at an unfamiliar ceiling, lying in an unfamiliar bed, wearing an unfamiliar nightgown. Her body aches as she slowly sits up. She scans her memory, trying to remember what had lead her here. Garreg Mach. The holy tomb. Edelgard. The Imperial camp. But how had all that lead to this room? She closes her eyes, trying to remember more. The assault on Garreg Mach. Rhea, becoming the Immaculate One. Stone, crumbling around her. Then....nothing. Try as she might, nothing after that is able to come back to her. Byleth slowly slides out of bed. She didn’t know what was going on, but she needed to find Edelgard. Hopefully this bed and room were her doing, and the unease she feels is merely some disoriented shock.</p>
<p class="p1">The doorknob rattles. Byleth swiftly turns towards the door, her shoulders tensing. The door opens. Her visitor is... Dimitri? Was it Dimitri? That was who her mind had immediately supplied, but this man is so much taller than the Dimitri she remembered. With much longer hair. And a strange look in his eyes that unsettled her. Was this a parallel dimension? Had something gone terribly wrong with the divine pulse? </p>
<p class="p1">“Ah, youre awake,” he says. “What a relief. The healers said there was likely to have been head trauma. But you’re ok.” He strides towards her, arms open to embrace her, but she stops him, holding her hand out in a warning to stay back as she subtly lowers her center of gravity.</p>
<p class="p1">“Who are you?" she asks. There's more she wants to ask, but she needs to know who she's dealing with first. The man’s face falls.</p>
<p class="p1">“I’m....Dimitri. Your husband. Don’t you remember?” So it is Dimitri after all. But her husband? Impossible. Dimitri, if it truly is him, speaks again before she can respond. “It looks like you have some amnesia. The doctors warned me that this might happen, but I didn't expect you to not even recognize me.”</p>
<p class="p1">“Edelgard,” she says. Dimitri’s face twists. “Where is she?” He scowls.</p>
<p class="p1">“You know as well as I do that that witch is terrorizing the continent.” Byleth’s head swims. What on earth was going on?</p>
<p class="p1">“I want to see Edelgard,” she finally asserts, knowing that everything would be right again if Edelgard would just come clear things up. Explain what had happened to her. </p>
<p class="p1">“I think you need to rest, dear,” Dimitri tries to persuade her. “Why would you want to see her?”</p>
<p class="p1">“She’s my student.” <em>And maybe, something more.</em></p>
<p class="p1">“Your student?” Dimitri is confused, his eyebrows raising. “Do you consider all of the students at Garreg Mach your students?”</p>
<p class="p1">“To an extent,” she answers. “But Edelgard is special." She pauses, wondering if she's revealed too much. "She was my house leader, for one.”</p>
<p class="p1">“Your house leader? But my dearest, you taught the Blue Lions back at Garreg Mach.”</p>
<p class="p1"><em>What on earth was happening</em>. Byleth tests divine pulse for the first time since waking up.</p>
<p class="p1">“Your house leader? But my dearest, you taught the Blue Lions back at Garreg Mach.” Divine pulse was working normally. Her body feels a little sore and achy, but othe than that completely normal. What bizarre reality had she stumbled into? Did Dimitri really think that she had taught the Blue Lions? Was it possible that something had scrambled her memory? She hesitates. Dimitri steps forward.</p>
<p class="p1">“It’s alright dear,” he says, taking her hands. Byleth notices for the first time that she's wearing a ring on one of her fingers. A wedding band? “We’ll figure this out. You don’t need to worry about Edelgard.”</p>
<p class="p1">Byleth wavers, almost letting him hold her. Maybe it was possible that she was confused, still recovering from some dark magic scrambling her head. But she draws her hands away from him. "No," she says. Her memories of Edelgard burn too strongly in her head for them to be the result of mind-altering magic. They were real. They had to be real. Edelgard displaying her Crest of Flames that night in her dorm room. The way Edelgard's face lit up when Byleth brought her favorite cookies to tea time. The determination blazing in her eyes when she declared war on the church in the holy tomb.</p>
<p class="p1">“No,” she repeats louder, stepping away from Dimitri. “I don’t know why you're lying to me, but you are. You're lying.” Anger creeps into her voice, and maybe a touch of insistence. He couldn't be lying, he had to be lying to her.</p>
<p class="p1">A strange look crosses Dimitri’s face before he surges forward, claiming her lips with his. Byleth is shocked. It takes a moment for her to gather herself again, but she tries to push him away again. His arms are locked tightly around her, preventing her from being able to pull away. So she bites him, hard, and finally he jerks away from her. His eyes burn as his face twists into an ugly expression. Byleth stares defiantly back at him, though she still cant escape his grasp. The air is heavy with silence.</p>
<p class="p1">“You.... you bitch!” He grabs her hair and yanks, forcing her head back towards him so he could kiss her again. When she bites him again, Dimitri only bites her in return, harder, causing the taste of copper to flood into Byleth's mouth. The pain makes her see stars for a moment, and her jaw slackens, letting Dimitri push his tongue inside her mouth. No matter how hard she tries to lean her head back, she cant escape him. She tries to knee him in the crotch, but the hand of his that isn't fisted around her hair catches her leg. He tears himself away from her again, breathing heavily.</p>
<p class="p1">"It looks like I'm going to have to teach you a lesson," he venomously spits at her. "You are my wife," he tells her, the words becoming not a statement, but a command. "You will learn that, one way or another." His hands move without warning to her hips, bunching up the nightgown she’s wearing and hiking it up.</p>
<p class="p1">Cold fear flashes through Byleth as she realizes what he intends. She jerks away, but he still has her in a vice grip. He pushes her towards the bed, holding her against the sheets. Adrenaline is surging through Byleth. She almost divine pulses, but her racing mind can't imagine any scenario where she could have overpowered him earlier. She has no weapons, no armor, and only knows healing magic. The only outcome she can predict is ending up in this same position again and again. Using the divine pulse would only repeat and prolong the experience. Icy cold dread washes through her again as the reality of her situation bears down on her. Byleth hopes she's wrong. Dimitri unbuckles his pants, and she freezes. She wasn't wrong.</p>
<p class="p1">She feels so vulnerable, a stranger's nightgown hiked up over her bare legs. For the first time, Byleth realizes that she wasn't wearing any underclothes. Being so exposed like this, against her will, makes her feel sick . Surely this couldn't be happening. Dimitri pulls his cock out of his pants, semi-hard and larger than she would have expected. Byleth tries to kick her legs against him, but he grabs each of her legs with one of his hands and holds them spread apart. She attempts to sit up now that he isn't pinning her anymore, but she slips against the fabric of the bedsheets, and Dimitri presses her legs forward, against her body, until he has her pinned again. His face is centimeters away from hers. Strands of his long hair fall onto her cheeks. She wishes she could bat them away.</p>
<p class="p1">"Don't struggle," he whispers to her, in a voice that shouldn't sound so gentle and kind. "I don't want to hurt you." And then she feels him press his cock against her cunt, rutting against her as he tries to enter her without guiding himself with his hands. His efforts prove fruitless and he grunts, pulling one hand away from one of her legs so he could line himself up with her. He pushes himself inside her. Byleth can't help but cry out in pain. She wasn't wet enough, she wasn't ready, and it hurts so much. But he thrusts his cock into her again, deeper this time, making Byleth scream.</p>
<p class="p1">"Shh, it's alright," Dimitri hushes her. He moves his free hand towards her clit, rubbing against it and making her gasp. "You just need to relax," Dimitri continues, thrusting in and out of her. Each time he does, he's able to push deeper inside of her, further than Byleth expects. She feels heat start to grow inside of her core as Dimitri continues his movements, both inside her and against her clit. To her horror, Byleth finds herself starting to moan not only from pain, but from sexual pleasure. She bites the inside of her cheek to try and fight it, but Dimitri's unrelenting pace forces the choked sounds of pleasure out of her throat.</p>
<p class="p1">"That's better," Dimitri says with a smile. "I knew you would like this." Byleth only moans, desperately wishing that he would cum already so it would be over. She's more slick than she was when he first entered her, but her cunt still throbs in dull pain around Dimitri's cock. He presses harder against her clit, making small circles with his thumb. Byleth gasps again, feeling the heat inside of her start to spread through her body. She couldn't. Didn't want to. Wouldn't let him make her. But Dimitri doesn't stop, and an orgasm spills over Byleth even as she fights it.</p>
<p class="p1">"You look so lovely when you cum," she thinks he tells her, but she isn't sure. Everything feels like a haze. She's barely come down from her climax when Dimitri starts moving his fingers again. Byleth cries out, her clit still throbbing with sensitivity. Before she realizes it, he's made her come again, but he doesn't give her a moment of reprieve afterwards this time. </p>
<p class="p1">"Please," she finally begs. "Please, please stop." The tears that had been building in the corners of her eyes spill out, down the side of her face. </p>
<p class="p1">"Tell me you're my wife," Dimitri says. "Tell me that you're my wife, and I'll stop." Byleth balks.</p>
<p class="p1">"Fuck you," she groans, not wanting to play his game, even in the state she was in. Dimitri's gaze hardens, and he pinches her clit, hard. Byleth screams at the pain, and uses divine pulse to rewind time.</p>
<p class="p1">"Tell me you're my wife," Dimitri says. "Tell me that you're my wife, and I'll stop." This time, Byleth grits her teeth. Her dignity is already shattered. And she can't bear the overstimulation any longer.</p>
<p class="p1">"I'm...," she pauses, gasping. "I'm your wife. I'm your wife, Dimitri." Dimitri slows the pace of his fingers against her clit, but his thrusts inside of her become faster. </p>
<p class="p1">"Tell me you love me. Tell me that you love me, and only me." Byleth hardly thinks before complying. </p>
<p class="p1">"I love you, Dimitri. Love you, only you," she manages to get out between involuntary gasps and whines. She barely thinks about the words she's saying, she just wants him to stop. She'll do anything to make him stop. Luckily, that seems to do the trick for him, as he shudders against her, no longer stimulating her clit. She feels him orgasm inside of her, his cum filling her up. He continues thrusting for a moment, but then finally stops. He doesn't pull out of her, but he's stopped moving. Byleth feels like a ragdoll, energy completely depleted and collapsed against the bed beneath him, unable to move. She flinches when he reaches for her face, caressing her cheek.</p>
<p class="p1">"I love you too, my darling," he whispers, kissing her. Byleth can't bring herself to resist him like she had earlier, and lets him lick against the inside of her mouth hungrily. He pulls away, smiling softly. "Here, let's get you cleaned up." He pulls his now soft cock out of her, and steps away. Byleth doesn't know what he's doing, but he soon returns with a towel and damp washcloth and begins wiping her down. She stays limp throughout, letting him gingerly move her limbs as he wipes blood and sweat off of her. When he finally finishes, he cups his hands against her cheeks and frowns with concern.</p>
<p>"You should probably rest," he says. "I'll have a servant bring by some food, and make sure a healer stops by if you're still in pain. I have to go now, but I'll be back later tonight. Don't over-exert yourself." Then his hands are guiding her underneath the bed sheets, resting her head on the bed's pillow. He places a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Love you," he whispers before standing up and heading towards the door.</p>
<p>Byleth watches him leave, only half-listening to the words he's saying. She's so tired. Her body is aching in pain. The words she repeated to Dimitri echo in her mind. <em>I'm your wife. Love you, only you</em>. Byleth feels sick, bile rising in her throat. She knows she had no choice, but the words still cling to her mind like a haze of poison magic. She starts coughing, and then dry-heaving, and she scrambles to sit up in bed. She tries to get out of the bed before she actually vomits, but ends up retching bile and stomach acid onto the floor next to her bed. Byleth coughs some more, but no longer dry heaves. She's so tired.</p>
<p>The feeling of obligation to clean up her mess tugs at her, but she decides to just leave it for the servant that Dimitri had told her would be coming with food. If they were going to be a part of this, of her captivity, the least they could do was to clean up her post-rape vomit. <em>Rape</em>. The thing that had just happened to her. She knew it happened to some women, a lot of women, but had never expected to happen to her. Back in her father's mercenary company, anybody who even got a bit too handsy with her was soon staring down the end of her and Jeralt's blades. Byleth hadn't thought that she'd ever feel this helpless, this weak. That anybody would be able to overpower her defenses and use her body against her will like that. There had been times in battle that she had been overwhelmed, but almost being killed had never come with such a strong feeling of being violated.</p>
<p>Shame and guilt tug at Byleth. How had she let this happen? What could she even do about it now? She places her head in her hands, curling her legs closer towards her body. <em>Rest,</em> Dimitri had told her. She hates to think that she's obeying him, complying with him, but she felt completely spent, emotionally and physically. She lies down again, curling her knees up towards her chest as she lays sideways. Her head is swimming now, but maybe when she wakes up, she'll be more able to think properly. Luckily, Byleth feels the pull of sleep as her eyes flutter closed. She had never been more glad that she didn't dream anymore, not after Sothis had woken up.</p>
<hr/>
<p class="p1">Time passes with alarming monotony. Soon, Byleth isn't sure how long she's been confined to this room in what she suspects is the palace in Fhirdiad. The days blend into each other, each one a repetitive pattern of bathing, eating, and boredom, punctuated only by Dimitri's visits. He comes by most days, usually bringing small treats with him. One day it was fresh flowers, and another day it was expensive tea. Once, he had even brought her a small peg solitaire game, to help her pass the time. He comes in, presents her the gift, he tells her about his day or something interesting that had happened to him recently, and then they have sex.</p>
<p class="p1">Byleth dreads it every time he visits, but she had learned after the first time that it was over faster if she didn't resist. The more she tells him that she loves him, and only him, the faster he comes inside of her. But soon, repeating <em>I'm your wife</em>, and <em>I love you, and only you,</em> isn't enough for him, and he starts making her say other things. It starts with <em>I'll help you end this war.</em> The next time it's <em>I fight for you</em>. </p>
<p class="p1">When Dimitri first makes her say <em>Edelgard means nothing to me</em>, she balks. He punishes her for that, and she rewinds time with divine pulse. She tries again, but the words get caught in her throat on their way out. She takes too long, and stutters around the words. Byleth uses divine pulse again before he can punish her for it. This time, she's able to say it, her voice only catching at the very end, but it's good enough for Dimitri. He climaxes in the middle of the sentence, more visibly affected than Byleth remembers ever seeing before. He needs her to say it to him again every time afterwards.</p>
<p class="p1">Some days, Byleth finds herself almost believing the things he has her say. It scares her. She wonders if eventually she'll fully break down and actually believe what she's parroting. It already scares her enough that she's started to look forward to Dimitri's visits-- they're the only thing different from day to day, and he treats her so gently after he fucks her. It's almost enough to make her forget the times he forces himself into her before she's ready, or when he keeps pushing when she cries out in pain.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Byleth isn't feeling well the night that someone other than Dimitri or the servant assigned to her comes into her room. She's lying in bed, willing her nausea to go away when she hears the door open. How odd-- the servant came at a set time every morning, and Dimitri had had his daily visit already earlier this evening. She rolls over in her bed to face the door, and gasps in shock when she sees who it is.</p>
<p>"Is that you, my teacher?" <em>Edelgard</em>. Standing in the doorframe looking at her with barely concealed hope and open concern. Byleth sits up, kicking her legs out over the side of the bed, but Edelgard rushes forward before she can stand and embraces her. Byleth flinches at the sudden contact, and Edelgard pulls away. "I'm sorry," she apologizes immediately. "I wasn't thinking." Edelgard's expression becomes distant for a moment, and Byleth realizes that she's remembering her own time in captivity under the Imperial Palace. She leans back into Edelgard's body, hugging her again.</p>
<p>"It's okay," she whispers. "It was just sudden." They stay like that for a moment, before Edelgard withdraws and looks at Byleth seriously. </p>
<p>"We need to get you out of here," she says. </p>
<p>"What about Dimitri? The guards?" Byleth asks.</p>
<p>"Taken care of, for now," Edelgard answers. "We can't afford a full scale assault on Fhirdiad right now, but when Hubert gained intelligence that it was a possibility that you were a captive here, I assembled a precision strike team for extraction.  We need to go meet up with them now." Byleth nods, standing up. She follows Edelgard towards the door of the room where she had been held captive for so long, but pauses before exiting fully. She glances back inside. It feels strange, somehow to be leaving. Edelgard tugs her hand, and Byleth turns towards her and sees her concerned expression. Byleth clears her throat.</p>
<p>"I'm fine," she says. "It just feels... strange. Is all." Edelgard nods sympathetically.</p>
<p>"I think I understand," she quietly replies. Byleth turns her back to what had been, ultimately, her prison cell. </p>
<p>"Let's go," she asserts. Edelgard leads her through the palace (it had been the Fhirdiad palace, after all, Byleth notes), quickly heading upstairs. They don't encounter any guards. Eventually, they reach a dead-end hallway. Byleth shoots a questioning look towards Edelgard.</p>
<p>"The window," Edelgard says, nodding towards it. She steps forward and opens it, revealing two pegasi and a wyvern sitting on the roof just beneath the window. Dorothea is sitting on one of the pegasi, looking worried. Her face, though, lights up when she sees Edelgard and Byleth.</p>
<p>"Edie! You found her!" she half whispers, half yells, clearly not wanting her voice to carry very far.</p>
<p>"Indeed," Edelgard says, climbing out the window. "Are Petra and Lysithea alright?" Dorothea nods.</p>
<p>"After Petra got back, she decided to go ahead and take out the tower watchmen. She'll meet us on our way out. Lysithea wanted to place some sort of sealing magic on the door to this wing of the palace to hopefully slow down any potential alarm. Speak of the devil, there she is now." Byleth turns and sees Lysithea climbing out of a nearby window and heading towards the pegasus without a rider.</p>
<p>"Professor!" she exclaims. "Thank goodness Edelgard was able to find you."</p>
<p>"Hush," Dorothea shushes her. "We don't want to set off any alarms now, of all times." Lysithea clamps her mouth shut and nods vigorously, but beams at Edelgard and Byleth as she mounts her pegasus.</p>
<p>"Here," Edelgard murmurs, guiding Byleth towards the wyvern. "You can ride with me." Edelgard helps boost Byleth up onto the wyvern, and then climbs on herself, sitting in front of Byleth. She looks towards Dorothea and Lysithea, double-checking that they were ready, and then makes a hand signal that Byleth assumes means they're departing. Edelgard pulls on the reins of her mount, and soon Byleth's stomach drops as they soar into the night sky. As they fly away from the palace, over the city, they hear the faint sound of alarm bells ringing from the castle.</p>
<p>"Damn," Edelgard swears. "I had hoped that we would have had more of a head start than this." She kicks her legs against her wyvern, causing it to fly faster. Dorothea and Lysithea notice and match her speed with their pegasi as well. A sudden flapping noise from an unexpected direction causes Byleth to twist around in fear, but fortunately it's only Petra on a wyvern. She flies alongside Edelgard.</p>
<p>"My apologies for not being able to delay the alarm more," she shouts into the wind. "Fhirdiad's defenses are quite strong."</p>
<p>"We just have to outrun them now," Edelgard yells back. "I hope your wyvern can handle it." Petra smiles slyly.</p>
<p>"If that is a challenge, I will be delighted to meet your expectations," she says, before falling back into the V formation that the other three had formed. Byleth rests her head against Edelgard's back. She was free. She was tired. </p>
<p>"Do you mind if I rest a bit?" she mumbles into Edelgard's shoulder. Byleth wonders if she should have spoken louder, but it seems Edelgard heard her anyways.</p>
<p>"If you think you can without falling off," Edelgard replies softly. Byleth just leans further against Edelgard, and closes her eyes. She's unsure if she drifts off or not, but eventually the wyvern jostles her, and Byleth notices that they're descending. She looks out to see where they are.</p>
<p>"Garreg Mach," she says. Edelgard half-turns her head around towards Byleth.</p>
<p>"Yes," she says. "It's been my base of operations for the war effort for several months now." Several months... Byleth sees how much different all her former students look. An icy cold fear grips her belly.</p>
<p>"Edelgard..." she begins. Edelgard waits as she gathers her thoughts. "How long has it been?"</p>
<p>"How long since what?" Edelgard asks. "How long since you were captured, we don't know. Hubert only got his intelligence within the last month. We don't know how many years you've been there." Years... Byleth braces herself.</p>
<p>"I mean, how long since I saw you last? Since the assault on Garreg Mach?" she whispers. Edelgard pauses. Byleth can feel her tense up against her.</p>
<p>"They've had you that long?" Byleth can hear the hard, angry undertones in Edelgard's voice.</p>
<p>"No," she assures Edelgard. "I was...asleep, I think, for a long time. Asleep or dead, I'm not sure. But then I woke up, in that room. I'm not sure how long I was there, but I don't think it's been many months. Maybe just a few. Or-- I'm not sure." Edelgard relaxes, somewhat.</p>
<p>"Five years," she says eventually. "It's been over five years since that battle. Since Rhea transformed into the Immaculate One and buried you underneath a mountain of rubble. I knew... I knew you were alive, somewhere. You had to be. And you were. Are." Byleth closes her eyes, silently reeling from the information as Edelgard's wyvern touches down by the gates of Garreg Mach. </p>
<p>"I'm sorry," she whispers against Edelgard's back. </p>
<p>"My teacher, you do not need to apologize for being taken--"</p>
<p>"I'm sorry I missed our reunion," Byleth interrupts her. "On the day of the Millenium Festival. I had promised. But I wasn't there." Byleth can't see Edelgard's expression, but Edelgard leans her back against Byleth just a bit.</p>
<p>"You still don't need to apologize," she says softly. Edelgard slides off the back of her wyvern and looks up at Byleth, offering her a hand. "Now, let's go see everyone." Byleth leans to take her hand and dismount the wyvern, but a sudden wave of nausea and lightheadedness from earlier that day hits her again, and she practically falls into Edelgard's arms. "Professor? Are you alright?" Edelgard sounds frantic. Byleth wants to reassure her.</p>
<p>"Just some flightsickness," she tries to wave off any concern. Edelgard frowns at her. </p>
<p>"I'm taking you to the infirmary," she declares. "Who knows what they did to you. Your health is most important." Byleth untangles herself from Edelgard's arms, and tries to stand up, to prove that she's fine. Unfortunately, her stomach chose that exact moment to betray her, causing her to stumble. Edelgard catches her arm before she falls to the ground, but Byleth knows that after that, there is no way Edelgard will let her skip an infirmary visit.</p>
<p>"Alright," she relents, leaning on Edelgard for support. "Thank you," she adds suddenly. Edelgard looks at her in confusion. "Thank you for saving me," Byleth clarifies. Edelgard's expression softens.</p>
<p>"You would do the same for me," she says. She's right; Byleth would.</p>
<p>"Still. Thank you." </p>
<p>Edelgard leads her towards the infirmary. It was still late at night, and the monastery was mostly empty. When they enter the infirmary, Edelgard has to shake Linhardt awake.</p>
<p>"I swear," she says. "What's the point of having you on night duty if you're just going to sleep through it?" Linhardt just yawns.</p>
<p>"Let's be honest. Even if I was on the day shift, I would sleep through that, too." Byleth smiles. Linhardt was still the same. "Welcome back, Professor," he says, directing his attention towards her. "Am I to assume that you need a post-imprisonment medical examination?" Byleth nods. "Give me a moment," Linhardt says, standing up and moving towards a cabinet behind him. Byleth sits on a seat in the infirmary. Edelgard sits next to her.</p>
<p>"You're staying?" Byleth asks.</p>
<p>"If you don't mind," Edelgard says quietly. "After everything..." she trails off. "Forgive me if I come off as a bit clingy," she jokes with a smile, but Byleth can see the need in her eyes, the need to keep being around Byleth to assure herself that she really did have her professor back. Byleth just nods. </p>
<p>Linhardt comes back with some devices, and has her drop a pinprick of blood into one of them. He fiddles with it, and then opens up a tome and starts casting a spell. Byleth zones out while he does his various tests. Eventually, he finishes, and heads back towards his desk.</p>
<p>"I just need a moment to analyze the results," he tells them. Edelgard and Byleth nod. They sit in silence for a moment before Edelgard speaks again.</p>
<p>"We couldn't find the Sword of the Creator, unfortunately," she says. Oh. Right. Byleth had had her sword on her in that battle. Dimitri must still have it.</p>
<p>"It's alright," Byleth mumbles. "I was thinking about switching to axes anyways. To be a wyvern rider, for the mobility on the battlefield." Edelgard opens her mouth to reply, but her attention catches on something behind Byleth, and she furrows her brow in concern.</p>
<p>"Linhardt? Is everything alright?" Byleth turns around, and sees what distracted Edelgard. Linhardt was frowning at his desk, deep concern etched on his face. Byleth feels a chill grip her spine.</p>
<p>"I've analyzed the results," he says, standing up from his desk and walking over. Neither Edelgard nor Byleth call him out on how he's dodging the question. "Would you like me to tell you separately?" He says, glancing between them. This can't be good. Not if Linhardt thinks they both shouldn't be told at the same time.</p>
<p>"It's fine," Byleth manages to choke out dryly. "Just spit it out already." Linhardt sighs, running a hand through his hair.</p>
<p>"Professor," he begins. "It seems that you're pregnant." It feels like time freezes, even though Byleth doesn't use divine pulse. She had known that it was a possibility, given how long and how often Dimitri had been coming inside of her. But to have it be real... Byleth doesn't know what to think. Edelgard makes a strangled sound. Byleth turns towards her, and is shocked at the dark, angry expression on her face. For as long as Byleth had known her, Edelgard had never been one for overly-emotional displays. But right now, she looked absolutely gutted, in shock, and most of all, angry enough to set fires with her gaze.</p>
<p>"They..." Edelgard sputters. "How dare they--"</p>
<p>"Do you know who the father might be?" Linhardt interrupts her. Edelgard shoots him a dark look. Byleth nods, and then swallows.</p>
<p>"Dimitri," she whispers. "It's his." Linhardt's eyebrows raise in surprise. Edelgard's expression goes from mere anger to apoplectic rage. Byleth expects another outburst, but Edelgard is silent for several beats. Finally, she speaks again, and this time, instead of angry shouting, her voice is low and hard.</p>
<p>"He will pay for this," she declares. "I will hunt him down to the ends of the earth if I have to, I will not-- can not-- let him escape justice for what he's done to you. How dare he-- How dare he lay a single finger on you. I will make him regret ever having the <em>thought</em> of--" Byleth flinches, leaning away from Edelgard. She knows that her anger is justified. She knows that. Yet still, it reminds her too much of Dimitri's angry rants in the evenings, how he promised to bring her Edelgard's head on a pike. The way he had stomped and swore to separate her head from her shoulders and trample her corpse with wild horses.</p>
<p>"Please don't speak like that," Byleth whispers. "Not like-- not like him." Confusion turned to realization on Edelgard's face, and then regret.</p>
<p>"I-- I'm sorry," Edelgard apologizes. "I didn't mean to--" Edelgard stops herself. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I let my emotions get the better of me," she finally says in a tone that's almost even. "I had known you were a captive, but I had never dreamed that it was possible that..." she trails off. "I am Emperor," she declares, more firmly than her tone before. "I can not allow my personal feelings to cloud my thoughts." Edelgard pauses again. In a softer voice, she adds, "I'm sorry for hurting you in my anger."</p>
<p>Byleth ducks her head. She feels guilty that Edelgard is apologizing to her for her righteous anger. But the rage in her voice earlier-- Byleth couldn't associate that sort of rage with anything but Dimitri anymore. Not after weeks, months, of him ranting to her in that room, after fucking her into the mattress.</p>
<p>"You have options, you know," Linhardt says quietly after they both didn't say anything for several moments. Byleth looks at him in confusion. "You don't have to carry the child to term if you don't want to. There are... methods to induce a miscarriage, should one find a pregnancy... inconvenient." Byleth finds herself shaking her head before he finishes speaking.</p>
<p>"I... I don't know," she admits. </p>
<p>"You don't have to make the decision now," Linhardt replies. "Just... just think about it." He walks back towards his desk, and then turns around. "I recommend you rest for now, Professor. And don't let Hubert know about this... situation, if you aren't prepared for him to take matters into his own hands." Byleth frowns, trying to figure out what Linhardt means by that.</p>
<p>"I won't let him," Edelgard declares. "I won't let him interfere with your choice, my teacher." Oh. Byleth finally understands. Hubert would likely surreptitiously try and induce a miscarriage for her, whether she wanted it or not, if he were to find out. Even though Edelgard is insisting that she wouldn't allow it. As much as Byleth trusts and relies on Edelgard, she knows that Hubert will still do what he believes is best, even if he knows he will be caught or reprimanded for doing so. </p>
<p>"I think I'd like to be alone right now," she finally says. Edelgard's face is mostly impassive, but Byleth can see that she's hiding disappointment. At herself, most likely. For causing Byleth to push her away, even just for tonight.</p>
<p>"If you'd like, I can walk you to your room, my teacher." Byleth hesitates. She knows Edelgard immediately regretted her emotional outburst. Yet still, Byleth wants a moment alone. Ironic, that after being locked up alone for so long, when she finally is surrounded by people she loves and who love her back-- that she wants to be alone again.</p>
<p>"Thank you for her offer," Byleth quietly replies. "But I would like some time to be outside by myself." Edelgard nods, her face hardened into a mask that Byleth was used to seeing her put on for others, but rarely for herself. She bites her lip, and reaches for Edelgard's hand. "It's alright, it really is," Byleth says, looking her right in the eye. "I just... haven't adjusted to being free yet." Edelgard diverts her gaze, staring at the ground. Byleth squeezes her hand. "I'll be normal again in the morning," she promises. Edelgard says nothing, but does nod. </p>
<p>"You'll likely have a lot of visitors tomorrow," she says. "I can let them know that you're still recovering and would like some privacy, if you wish." Byleth shakes her head. </p>
<p>"I'm happy to see all my students again," she says. "Including you. It's just been... a lot, lately." Byleth stands up. She knows her way back to her old room from here. "Good night, Edelgard," she says.</p>
<p>"Good night, my teacher," Edelgard replies half-heartedly, still sitting in the chair in the infirmary. Linhardt is at his desk, sleeping again. Byleth exits the room, thoughts swirling in her head as she heads towards her room, where she promptly collapses into her bed and falls asleep.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The next day, Byleth does her best to act as normally as possible, how she was when she was formally a professor. She shuts out all thoughts of her time in Fhirdiad, and busies herself with axe training and continuing her former students' studies. Edelgard is acting somewhat distant, Byleth realizes over the next few days. It seems they're both trying to ignore the inconvenient truth that's slowly growing inside of Byleth. She isn't showing yet, luckily, and is able to lead the Black Eagles Strike Force into battle against Arianrhod. They land a decisive victory, despite the arrows of light that rained down on them from Those Who Slither In The Dark.</p>
<p>Their next battle leads them to the Tailtean plains, where Edelgard expects to meet Dimitri and the Church of Seiros in battle. Edelgard pulls her aside after the strategy meeting detailing her plans.</p>
<p>"You know that-- <em>he</em> will be there at Tailtean." Byleth nods impassively. Edelgard fixes her with a concerned look. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" Byleth nods again, steely-eyed. </p>
<p>"I should be asking the same thing of you," she replies. Edelgard slightly ducks her head in an almost-nod.</p>
<p>"I... will be fine. I will not let my emotions get the better of me." </p>
<p>"Good," Byleth says, putting her hand on Edelgard's shoulder. "I expect nothing less from my finest student." Edelgard blinks at the praise as Byleth walks away. It would only occur to her later that Byleth had redirected the conversation towards her, when Edelgard had intended to make sure that Byleth was alright.</p>
<hr/>
<p>It's dark and raining when the two armies clash. Lightning pierces the air occasionally, lighting sections of the Plains for brief moments. Thunder rumbles, loud and close. Byleth steels herself. She would face Dimitri. He no longer had any power over her. He would not rape her again. Could not. She would not permit it. Edelgard would not allow it to happen. All of her Eagles were there with her, to support her. She is no longer alone in a locked room in the Fhirdiad palace. Now, she's sitting on top of her wyvern, next to her allies. She takes a deep breath, and then begins issuing orders.</p>
<p>Mercedes arrives with reinforcements. Byleth feels a pang of regret at having Jeritza deployed on that side of the battlefield. She knows that he will do his duty, but it was lamentable that he would be crossing blades with his sister. Dedue transforms into a Demonic Beast, and Byleth's heart breaks for him. Their defensive line holds against the onslaught, and the Strike Force close in on Tempest King Dimitri. </p>
<p>"Byleth!" he shouts when she approaches him. "Come back to me! We could have had a whole future together! Children! Happiness! But you threw it all away for <em>her</em>." Byleth's stomach clenches, and she is suddenly very aware of the growing seed that Dimitri had planted inside of her. Unconsciously, her hands falls to her stomach. Unfortunately, this does not escape Dimitri. "Is it possible?" he shouts into the roaring storm. "Are you with child?"</p>
<p>Byleth can't bring herself to lie to him, though she knows that she doesn't owe him the truth, either. She hefts her axe and directs her wyvern into a dive towards him. He takes the hit, but is standing up again as soon as he hits the ground. He charges towards her, catching her off guard, and Areadbhar tears into the shoulder of her wyvern, causing her to fall onto the ground. She lands on her side, and struggles to stand as Dimitri stalks towards her. </p>
<p><em>Oh no,</em> she thinks. <em>It's going to happen again.</em> She's powerless in front of him. He's going to take what he wants from her. <em>Move</em>, she screams at herself. <em>Get up, do something, anything!</em> But Byleth kneels in the mud, paralyzed.</p>
<p>"You're mine," she hears him tell her, at a normal volume, indicating how close he is to her already. And then-- she hears a wyvern screech, and Dimitri braces Areadbhar against the ground, angled upwards. </p>
<p>"Raging Storm!" she hears Edelgard shout. </p>
<p><em>Edelgard.</em> Edelgard was here. Aymr glows as she bears down on Dimitri, hitting him with the axe's unique combat art. He flies in the air, and rolls several times when he hits the ground. This time, he doesn't leap back up immediately. Edelgard lands her wyvern next to Byleth and dismounts, helping her up from the ground. They walk towards Dimitri. When they reach him. Edelgard levels Aymr at his throat, but pauses. She turns to Byleth.</p>
<p>"I want to be the one to kill him," she says. Byleth hesitates, but Edelgard continues speaking before she can respond. "But I can't. If I were to kill him now, it would be because of my own emotions and personal feelings." She lowers Aymr. Dimitri growls at her. "That does not mean you will live to see tomorrow, you filthy dog," she spits at him. She turns again towards Byleth. "My teacher... I ask you to do what I can not do without losing myself." Byleth needs a moment to process what Edelgard is asking her. When she understands, her grip tightens against the axe in her hand. She nods, stepping forward.</p>
<p>"Dimitri," she says, and he looks her in the eye. She sees in his clear blue eyes the student that he once was, back at the academy. The kind young man who got so easily flustered. She remembers the tea party she had treated him to on his birthday, and how he enjoyed the chamomile tea she had brewed, even as he wondered aloud how it tasted. She sees him now, bleeding and caked in mud, broken all over yet somehow not dead yet. She pities him, she realizes. Yes, she remembers the many nights he took her body by force. She hates him, she fears him, maybe part of her still cares for him despite everything. Yet right now, when he's on the brink of death, she pities him.</p>
<p>"Run away with me," he pleads frantically. "We can be together again, like we were always meant to be." Byleth steps forward, preparing her axe. "We can raise our child together! They will need a father," he entreats her. Byleth almost hesitates. He was the father of the child that she may or may not keep. But he had to die, for the sake of the future of all the children and people in Fodlan. She swings her axe. Dimitri's head falls from his shoulders, hitting the ground. His body collapses forward into the mud. Byleth lets out the breath that she didn't know she was holding. It was done. Dimitri was dead.</p>
<p>She turns towards Edelgard, and is surprised to see tears falling down her cheeks. Then she realizes that she, too, is crying as well. They stand together in silence for a moment, mourning the man that he could have been, might have been if not for the war-- if not for Duscur, if not for Those Who Slither In The Dark. Byleth reaches for Edelgard's hand, and pulls her into an embrace. They only have one battle left, now.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The battle at Fhirdiad is long and hard. Byleth pushes herself to the limit with the divine pulse, determined not to let any of her students fall now. But eventually, they're standing in front of Rhea, in the form of the Immaculate One. Edelgard says something poignant about humanity and gods. They rush Rhea together, for one final, deadly blow. Byleth collapses when Rhea dies, but she wakes up again soon, in Edelgard's arms as she sobs.</p>
<p>The journey back to Garreg Mach is light and easy. They've won the war. Byleth knows that Edelgard still has to take down her uncle and his cronies, but Hubert had told her that that was to be a different sort of war. One of intelligence and counter-intelligence, of cloaks and daggers. She doesn't get much of a chance to speak with Edelgard again until they're back at Garreg Mach, when they chance upon each other in the Goddess Tower.</p>
<p>They speak of the future, and the world that they have the freedom to shape now. Byleth can tell that Edelgard has something more she wants to say, though, and finally asks her what she so clearly wants to say. Edelgard blushes.</p>
<p>"I... I wanted to ask you if you had decided what to do about your..." Edelgard's voice trails off, but her eyes flit downwards to Byleth's stomach. She was barely starting to show, but it wasn't very noticeable when Byleth wore her jacket-cape. Byleth gives her a wan smile.</p>
<p>"To be honest, I haven't decided yet," she admits. "I was trying not to think about it during the war. But I suppose I'll have to decide soon." Edelgard nods. She bites her lip. Byleth raises her eyebrows at her and makes a small gesture with her hands, indicating for Edelgard to say what was on her mind.</p>
<p>"I would like... to stand by your side, come what may. You chose to protect me at the Holy Tomb. Now, I would like to choose to bear your burdens as my own, if you would have me." Edelgard pauses. "In truth, I need you. I know that the next several months will be difficult for you no matter what ends up happening, so I hate to be selfish, but I can no longer keep my feelings to myself." Silence hangs in the air for a moment before Byleth responds.</p>
<p>"El," she says. Edelgard's eyes widen in surprise. This was the first time that Byleth had used the nickname for her since learning of it. "There are... a lot of complicated feelings I've been having for a while. About you. About Dimitri. About this," she says, poking at her stomach. "I fear I'll be a dreadful burden on you for quite a while," she jokes with a smile.</p>
<p>"Absolutely not," Edelgard replies immediately. "You will never be a burden to me." Then, the full implications of what Byleth said hit her. "Does this mean..?" she asks, her voice rising with hope as she trails off, not wanting to say it aloud in case she's wrong. Byleth nods and steps closer to Edelgard. The sun outside is starting to rise, washing soft purple light over the Goddess Tower. </p>
<p>"I look forward to our life together, in this glorious new dawn," she says with a slight blush. Edelgard almost throws her hands around Byleth to embrace her, but stops.</p>
<p>"May I..?" she asks, and Byleth remembers how she had flinched back when Edelgard had embraced her in her room in the Fhirdiad palace. Instead of answering Edelgard with words, Byleth leans into Edelgard's arms and embraces her first. They stay that way for a while, just holding each other, before they part, and head down the tower to go have breakfast with the rest of the Black Eagles. They don't stop holding hands until Caspar tackles the professor with a hug in the dining hall, still ecstatic at their victory.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I promise I dont hate dimitri, I just didnt see how to write this without making him an unambiguous villain. I'll probably need to write the next chapter of my dimigard multichap fic in order to feel better about his characterization in this oneshot lol.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>